A noisy airway: Varying causes for upper airway obstruction in a child

Abstract

Noisy breathing is a common symptom in infancy and childhood. It can sometimes be intimidating to the parents and a diagnostic challenge to the treating physician. Causes for a noisy airway include congenital and acquired conditions. They can vary in etiology from self-resolving conditions like laryngomalacia to more sinister entities like malignant tumors. We present a 3-year-old girl who presented with noisy breathing since the age of 6months associated with poor weight gain and chest deformity. Due to persistence of her symptoms, she underwent upper airway evaluation at different time points and was found to have varied causes for her noisy respiration that included airway malacia, pharyngeal wall inspiratory collapse and later adenoidal hypertrophy which was complicated by symptoms suggestive of obstructive sleep apnea. The above three conditions are known to co-exist and can manifest at varied points of time. Since it is unusual to encounter varied causes of upper airway obstruction in the same patient, this case is being presented for its rarity and to highlight the importance of evaluating the upper airway repeatedly if symptoms are persistent, variable or progressive.